WE 500 red color question

[cchaven]

I have a 500 C/D with plastics dated 1959.though the body stamp is a bit difficult to read.  It's a very dark red.  I was wondering if the -53 Cherry Red was a darker color than pictures tend to show it?  In pictures it tends to look like a bright red.  I just picked up a nice soft plastic 500 and it's true color is a very dark red and the color is true inside and out on the plastics as well as the cords.  I'm just trying to pinpoint just what color it is.

Thanks
Jeff

[Jester]

WE cherry red, code -53, is indeed a dark red.  Some refer to it as "blood red" or "Coca-Cola red" to differentiate it from a brighter color.  Your phone appears to be true to the WE color palette.

[Adam]

Yes, it's frustrating, it's almost impossible to correctly photograph Western Electric 53, it always looks too bright.

I call it "Fire Engine Red".

Nice red 500, btw. 

[HarrySmith]

Forget about which color it is and send it to me, I will figure it out for you, I need a Red one for my collection

[Adam]

OK.  Do you want Western Electric 53?  Or do you want ITT 02? (Which was the same as WE 53.)  Or do you want the later ITT 47, which they also called "Cherry Red" but is much brighter than WE 53?  Or do you want WE 124, which they called "Rust", which is sort of a cross between WE 104 chocolate brown and WE 53?  Or do you want any of the ITT/Stromberg variations of Orange?  Or do you want...

[cchaven]

Yes, it's frustrating, it's almost impossible to correctly photograph Western Electric 53, it always looks too bright.

I call it "Fire Engine Red".

Nice red 500, btw. 

Thanks all!

Its very hard to photograph..that picture came out a much brighter red than it actually is.  Jester's mention of 'blood red' is a good description of it.  I wanted an early red 500 and i saw this one and bid on it...but before I noticed the newer dial..which is the only thing out of place.  Still, it's a very nice example..which from the dates seems to have gone thru three distinct phases.  It's not a mish-mash of parts at all.  The electronics are 1956, the plastics are 1959 and the dial is a 1970 9C.

Jeff

[Dan]

Forget about which color it is and send it to me, I will figure it out for you, I need a Red one for my collection

Send me a PM, I have an extra in both 500 or 554 versions both soft plastic. We can trade or work out a payment if you are interested

[Kenny C]

OK.  Do you want Western Electric 53?  Or do you want ITT 02? (Which was the same as WE 53.)  Or do you want the later ITT 47, which they also called "Cherry Red" but is much brighter than WE 53?  Or do you want WE 124, which they called "Rust", which is sort of a cross between WE 104 chocolate brown and WE 53?  Or do you want any of the ITT/Stromberg variations of Orange?  Or do you want...

Yes please

[AE_Collector]

OK.  Do you want Western Electric 53?  Or do you want ITT 02? (Which was the same as WE 53.)  Or do you want the later ITT 47, which they also called "Cherry Red" but is much brighter than WE 53?  Or do you want WE 124, which they called "Rust", which is sort of a cross between WE 104 chocolate brown and WE 53?  Or do you want any of the ITT/Stromberg variations of Orange?  Or do you want...

Yes please

That's what I thought too...."Sounds Good"!

Terry

[ESalter]

While we're all throwing pretty red phones around, can I toss my name in as well?

[Dan/Panther]

I've purchased a few RED 500's over the past couple years. Only to be disappointed to receive an almost Burgundy colored red phone. The only 500's I've run across that are truly Coca-Cola Red to me are SC, ITT or other licensed makers.
D/P

[elmwood]

I have a 500 C/D with plastics dated 1959.though the body stamp is a bit difficult to read.

Neat phone!  I like red 500s and 2500s; they always get "Is that the hotline to the Kremlin?" comments from guests.

Somewhat off-topic: my childhood phone number was also 716-834-XXXX.  That phone probably spent most of its working life in northeast Buffalo (Kensington, University Heights) or an adjacent neighborhood in Amherst (Snyder, Eggertsville) or Cheektowaga (Cleveland Hill).

[paul-f]

I've purchased a few RED 500's over the past couple years. Only to be disappointed to receive an almost Burgundy colored red phone. The only 500's I've run across that are truly Coca-Cola Red to me are SC, ITT or other licensed makers.
D/P

The sets you got are probably faded.  We're more familiar with seeing the effects in light colored sets:  white turns to ivory, aqua turns to turquoise and light gray turns green.  In each case yellow is added to the original color as it fades.  Dark colors get darker.

Perhaps we should work on a chart of faded colors.

[AE_Collector]

Yes but the 1960's red phones were deep red, not bright red. AE's red was called Garnet Red and it is definitely a deep red.

By the 70's and 80's bright red came into favour. AE's Styleline was only available in "Candy Apple Red" which is a lighter bright red.

Terry

[cchaven]

Red phones are very striking and I was a bit surprised at how deep the red actually was when I got it.  Blood red is certainly an apt description and in certain lights it even leans towards a maroon.  There's only the slightest of difference between the dial ring and the rest of the plastics, but otherwise there's no variation in the color inside or out.  When buying one, the way the flash lightens the color and the fact that colors between different monitors can also show differently makes it difficult to tell just how much the color has changed on these phones.

Jeff